Can Jae-il Oh (37, Samsung), captain of 2023, lead Samsung to the path of rebound again?

Oh Jae-il is regarded as one of the best success stories among the players Samsung recruited from outside in recent years.

After completing the 2020 season, Oh Jae-il, who obtained qualification as a free agent (FA), transferred to Samsung for up to 5 billion won in 4 years. It was Samsung’s first outside FA recruitment in three years since the recruitment of free agent catcher Kang Min-ho in November 2017.

What Samsung expected at the time was Oh Jae-il’s long hitting power. But Jaeil Oh did more than that.

The first year Jae-il Oh transferred, Samsung stepped on the fall baseball stage after a long time. After the opening, Samsung, who had lost 4 consecutive losses, broke the losing streak and continued the march of 3 consecutive wins, and continued its upward trend to the point of competing for the lead at the end of the season. Samsung, which advanced to the playoff stage after playing the first place match against KT, played fall baseball for the first time in six years.

That year, Oh Jae-il played 120 games and recorded a batting average of 0.285, 25 homers, and 97 RBIs. In the 2020 season, Samsung, which was 7th in 10 clubs with 129 homers, rose to 3rd in this category with 133 team homers in the 2021 season with Oh Jae-il’s slugging power added.

The 2022 season was also a year in which Oh Jae-il’s influence on the team could be seen. Oh Jae-il started the season a little late due to Corona 19 before the opening. Even after his return, he was sluggish with a batting average of 0.219 in 20 games for the month of April, and Samsung also stagnated during this period, remaining in 8th place out of 10 clubs.

However, it was Jae-il Oh who led the team’s rebound. After former head coach Heo Sam-young resigned, Samsung played under the system of acting head coach Park Jin-man from August. Oh Jae-il took over the captain’s armband from Kim Heon-gon in the Park Jin-man acting manager system. After that, Samsung rebounded from August and jumped into the fight for the top 5 at the end of the season. It was thanks to the strengthening of teamwork by combining the leadership of Park Jin-man with the leadership of Oh Jae-il.

Oh Jae-il will continue to captain in 2023. In the meantime, Samsung has traditionally decided the captain by voting for the players. However, this time, the players showed their trust in Oh Jae-il without having to vote separately. 안전놀이터

Oh Jae-il said, “I thought he would take on (the captaincy) this year as well. In fact, he thought he would argue even when he came to camp. He said the players didn’t even have to vote, so he pushed him to the captaincy,” he said. He continued, “Last year, I took over during the season, but this year, I took over at the start of the season. I feel more responsible. The mindset is the same as last year. He will do his best to center the team.”

During the season last year, Samsung failed to advance to the postseason due to difficulties such as setting the record for the most consecutive losses in team history. I am growing my dream of playing fall baseball again this year. Interest is focused on how Jae-il Oh, who has gradually become the center of the team after transferring to Samsung, will perform in the 2023 season, which officially begins as captain.